Design is Marketing

We can thank people like Steve Jobs for this design-focused marketplace. Jobs, among others, trained people to expect products that not only deliver on their promised function, but look great and feel great too. He called this “magical”; we call it great design.

We live in the era of design. Good design sells, bad design doesn’t.

This market expectation means that great design is not optional; its required (especially with electronic goods like eBooks). When new tools (such as iBooks Author) make it easy for anyone to become a published author, people look at credibility indicators, like great design, to make purchasing decisions. Great design sells better. Period.

Don’t get us wrong, content is king.

Without great content, it doesn’t matter what dress you put on it, people don’t want to read junk. But great content is not enough. There’s lots of research out there saying that people’s purchasing behavior is directly influenced by aesthetic design. Design can effectively build or destroy trust and this is huge when a person is purchasing online.

How many times have you landed on a website that looks like it was built in the late 80’s?

If you’re like most people, you abandon the webpage immediately in search of something that “feels” more safe and more credible. That feeling of distrust is based entirely off of the design of the website. Now think about your eBook. How will people feel about your design?

When it comes to designing your eBook, there are core feelings you want readers to have when deciding whether or not to purchase your book.

First impressions are enormously important, especially in a crowded marketplace. If you’re Stephanie Meyer or John Grisham, people will be searching for your books because you’re a household name. Alas, if you’re not a widely known author, no one is “searching” for you or your work. So how do you stand out? Design.